Ophthalmic mounting



June 16, W42.

M. .J. GOULD OPHTHALMIC MOUNTING Filed NOV. 25, 1939 INVENTOR. MARVIN J. GOULD.

% TTORNEY.

Patented June 16, 1942 3 2,286,483 OPHTHALMIC MOUNTING Marvin J. Gould, New Brunswick, N. .L, assignor to American Optical Company, Southbridge, Mass, a voluntary association of Massachusetts Application November 25, 1939, Serial N0. 306,12 6

2 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in ophthalmic mountings and has particular reference to the provision of improved lens holding means.

One of the principal objects of the invention is to provide an improved type of lens holding means which may be used in a low or commonly known on-center position on a lens and which may be used, by proper bending and adjustment thereof, in a high position or commercially known location above the centers of the pupils of the eyes when in straight ahead vision position, or at any other desired position on the lens.

Another object is to provide lens holding means of the above character whereby it may be used at either high or low positions.

Another object is to provide a combined end piece and lens strap construction which, in addition to being adjustable so that it may be used at either a high or low position on the lens, affords a wide range of adjustment to fit the mounting to the facial characteristics of an individual.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing and it will be apparent that many changes may be made in the details of construction and arrangement of parts shown and described without departing from the spirit of the invention as expressed in the accompanying claims. I, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the exact details of construction and arrangement of parts shown and described as the preferred form only has been given by way of illustration.

Referring to the drawing:

Fig. I is a front elevation of an ophthalmic mounting showing the device embodying the invention as applied at a high position on the lens;

Fig. II is a plan view of the mounting illustrated in Fig. I;

Fig. III is a front elevation of the device embodying the invention as applied at an on-center position on the lens; I

Fig. IV is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view showing the improved device adjusted and fitted at a high position on the lens;

Fig. V is a fragmentary front elevation showing the device at an on-center position;

Fig. VI is a view generally similar to Fig. V showing the device adjusted and fitted at a high position;

Fig. VII is a view generally similar to Fig. IV showing a View of a modified form of the invention.

This invention is directed primarily to the provision of an endpiece embodying a lens strap and temple connection having an intermediate bendable arm which may be adjusted so that the endpiece and strap may be used at the commonly known on-center position or at the commonly known high position on the lens.

It has been usual in the past to provide endpieces independently constructed for use at said respective positions. Such prior art end pieces, however, could not be readily adjusted so that they could be used either at the on-center or high position. The prime object, therefore, of the invention is to provide an endpiece and lens strap assembly which may be used at an oncenter or high position and which, in addition to being adaptable for use at said positions, affords a relatively wide range of adjustment so that the mounting may be adjusted to the facial characteristics of the individual.

Referring more particularly to the drawing wherein like characters of reference designate like parts throughout the several views the mounting embodying the invention comprises a pair of lenses I having a bridge 2 secured thereto by lens straps 3. In this particular instance, the lens straps are secured at the commonly known on-center position on the lens, that is, at a low position adjacent the horizontal center line of the lens. It is to be understood, however, that the said straps 3 may be located at a high position on the lens if desired depending, of course, upon the construction of bridge employed. The bridge 2 comprises a central arch portion 4 having depending side portions 5 secured to the portions 6 of the lens straps 3 which overlie the edge of the lens. Suitablenose pad supporting arms I are also secured to the lens straps adjacent the portion 6 and extend rearwardly thereof, as illustrated in' Fig. II, and terminate in depending attachments to which suitable nose pads 8 are either rigidly or loosely attached. The straps 3 are secured to the lenses by suitable connecting means 9 extending through aligned openings in the ears of the straps and in the lens. The said connecting means 9 may be a screw, solder-lock pin or any of the commercially known type connecting means.

The essential feature of the invention is embodied in a strap Ill having a temple endpiece ll joined thereto by an intermediate adjustable barlike member l2. With this arrangement, the strap ID, as illustrated in Figs. III and V, may be secured at an on-center position on the lens or at a location on said lens adjacent a point where the horizontal center line of the lens intersects the temporal edge thereof. It is to be understood however that the strap may be slightly above or below said point, and that with slight rearrangement of the connections of the member I2, may be at any desired position on the lens. It is particularly pointed out that when the strap I is secured to a lens at the commonly known on-center position the temple endpiece II lies substantially along the horizontal center line I3 extending through said strap, as illustrated in Fig. V. When in this position the bar-like member I2 is in the state to which it was initially formed. The strap Ill comprises an adjustable shoe portion I4 overlying the edge of the lens and spaced ears I5 overlying the opposed side surfaces of the lens and secured to said lens by any suitable type of connecting means I6. It is to be understood that a single ear type lens strap might be used if desired. It is particularly pointed out, as shown in Fig. V, that the center line of the temple endpiece II and the strap ears I5 lie substantially along the horizontal axis line I3 so that the ears I5 and temple endpiece I I are in substantial line relation with each other. When the strap I0 and the temple endpiece II are to be used at the high position the said endpiece I I and ears I5 can not be located in aligned relation with each other, as set forth in Fig. V, but must be disposed at an angle, as illustrated in Fig. VI, so that the shoe I4 may be fitted with the edge of the lens which recedes inwardly towards the vertical center line of the lens at said location. This position of' strap II! is brought about by bending the intermediate bar-like portion I2 as illustrated in Figs. II and IV. Although it is desirable to angle the shoe I4 of the strap so as to enable it to be fitted with the lens at the high position, it is desirable that the temple endpieces I I be retained in a horizontal plane so that by bending the bar-like member I2, as illustrated in Fig. IV, the said lens strap and temple endpiece assembly may be used at either a high or low position. When at a high position,

the longitudinal axis I! of the strap ears I5 is disposed at an angle to the longitudinal axis I8 of the temple endpiece II. The arm I2 has a side twisting bend which quickly and easily 1ocates the longitudinal axes I1 and I8 of the respective strap ears and temple endpiece II in desired angular relation with each other. When securing a lens strap, such as the strap II) to the lenses I it is desirable that the center of the connection opening in the lens at either the high or on-center position be at a substantially constant distance A from the edge of the lens. This is a standardized distance which is controlled during the drilling or forming of the connection openings in the lens which corresponds to the distance of the center of the opening in the strap ear I5 from the lens edge engaging surface of the shoe I4. It is to be understood, that although the straps are shown and described as being secured to lens edge lying substantially in a single plane, the said strap It] may be secured to lenses having other contour edge slopes if desired. This is accomplished by merely bending the shoe I4 to fit the shape of the edge. The distance A remains substantially constant in all instances.

In addition to providing means whereby the lens strap and endpiece assembly may be adjusted for use either at the on-center or high position on the lens, the said bar-like members provide means whereby the distance between the temples may be varied to fit the facial characteristics of the individual for whom the mounting is being formed. The said bar-like members also provide adjustable means whereby the angle of the temples with respect to the plane of the lenses when the temples are extended may be altered. This is accomplished by bending the bar-like members upwardly or downwardly adjacent the point of connection thereof with the endpiece I I. The endpieces II are provided with an end to which suitable temples I9 may be pivotally attached, as illustrated at 22. Although the bar-like members I2 and endpieces II are illustrated as being formed of separately joined parts the said bar-like members I2 may be formed integral with the endpieces II and may be formed by merely reducing the endpieces throughout a portion thereof equal to the length of the bar-like members and shaping the end of the reduced portion to the shape desired. The bar-like members I2 may be secured to the lens straps and temple endpieces as by soldering, welding or the like.

In Fig. VII there is illustrated a furthermodification wherein a bar-like member simulating the bar-like member I2 has an end portion 2| secured to the strap with a portion 22 extending downwardly in the direction of the shoe I4 of the strap and thence turning outwardly, as illustrated at 23 and upwardly as illustrated at 24 to an outwardly curving end 25 secured to the temple endpiece II. The endpiece II is located in desired relation with the strap It for use at the on-center or high position by bending the loop portions of said bar-like portion intermediate the ends 2I and 25 which are respectively secured to the strap and endpiece. This arrangement affords a wider range of adjustment for fitting the mounting to the facial characteristics of the individual, and provides one form of connection which is applicable to anyposition on the lens.

With the above arrangement of lens strap it obviates the necessity for dispensers to stock two different types of lens straps as has been usual in the past, that is, the on-center and high position strap, as the lens strap embodying the invention may be used at either of said locations by an extremely simple adjustment. It is to be noted that even after the lens strap has been adjusted, for example, for use at a high position the said strap may be again altered so that it may be used at the on-center position. The invention, therefore, provides a lens strap having a wide latitude of use as it may be applied to lenses of any desired shape either at the on-center or high position and affords a wide range of adjustment by means of which the mounting may be fitted to the wearer and the lenses disposed in a desired angle relative to the line of sight therethrough.

In assembling the lens strap with the lenses a suitable connection opening is formed at the proper distance A from the edge of the lens and at the location on the lens at which it is desired to have the strap connected. The main strap portion including the shoe I4 is attached to the lens and, through the use of pliers, the bar-like portion I2 is bent to dispose the endpiece in a horizontal or other desired plane and to simultaneously adjust the temple as required.

It is to be understood that the material used in forming the arm I2 is such that it may be bent without danger of breakage and will retain its adjusted position. Suitable metals known in the art having these characteristics may be used.

aasease It is to be understood that the bar-like members l2 may be formed of relatively rigid, pliable or resilient material or may have portions thereof possessing one or more of said characteristics.

It is to be understood that if desired, the portion 12 may be so designed and attached to the portion I l and II as to be ready for high position use without bending except to compensate for facial characteristics, and may, if desired, be bent to the shape necessary for on-center or low position use, or whatever position on the lens is desired.

The above procedure may be applied for any position on the lens, that is, the portion l2 may be so designed and attached to the portion Hi and Ii, the bridge 5 and strap 3, as to normally be ready for use in said desired position as far as adjustment depending on its position on the lens is concerned.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that simple, efficient and economical means have been provided for accomplishing all of the objects and advantages of the invention.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. In a device of the character described comprising lens holding means adapted to be secured to lenses, said lens holding means each having a lens strap shaped to overlie a portion of the side surface of a lens and also overlie an edge of a lens with said side surface and edge portions being angularly disposed relative to each other and with the edge portion being substantially parallel with an adjacent portion of the lens, an endpiece for each of said lens straps, each lens strap and endpiece having a bendable endpiece spacing member therebetween for angularly adjusting the relationship of the endpiece to the edge portion of the lens strap, each endpiece spacing member having a lateral twist of less than a 90 angle formed therein intermediate the ends thereof and having one surface of said endpiece spacing member being connected to the edge portion of the lens strap, and a surface adjacent the opposing end of the spacing member being fixedly connected to said endpiece, and temples pivotally connected to each of said endpieces to the end that the distance between the temple pivotal means on the opposing sides of the mounting may be varied to more readily conform to the facial characteristics by bending said endpiece connecting member to conform to the requirements of the individual and the positional relation of the assembled parts may be altered to assume a desired positional relation with the lenses at different locations of attachment to said lenses.

2. In a device of the character described comprising lens holding means adapted to be secured to lenses, said lens holding means each having a portion shaped to overlie a side surface of a lens and an angularly disposed portion shaped to overlie an edge of said lens, said angularly disposed portion having an attachment surface thereon, endpiece members each having a temple hinge connection portion and a side attachment surface thereon spaced from said hinge connection portion, a relatively long bendable endpiece spacing member between the endpiece members and the lens holding means for angularly spacing and adjusting the positional relation of the endpiece member relative to the lens holding means, said endpiece spacing members each having a side surface adjacent one end thereof connected to the attachment surface of the edge portion of the lens holding means and extending rearwardly thereof and each having a side surface portion adjacent the opposing ends thereof fixedly connected to the side attachment surface of the respective endpiece member with said endpiece member having a portion thereof extending outwardly in a sidewise direction and having a lateral twist therein intermediate the ends thereof of said spacing member with the temple hinge connection portion spaced relative to the attachment surface and temples pivotally connected to each of said endpiece members whereby said endpiece members and lens holding means may be adjusted to proper positional relation with the lenses at different locations of adjustment.

MARVIN J. GOULD. 

